The Steel Lorelei's Blind Spot
Everyone treats you like royalty, Steel Lorelei. War heroine safeguarding the Holy Empire. All flattering nicknames lavished on Zigrinde von Levanfalt. True to her role as the protagonist of a romance fantasy built on war tropes, Zigrinde wielded brilliant leadership and innate talent to save the Theodor Holy Empire. As a reader of the story, I vividly remembered her exploits from the early chapters—taking on hordes of enemy legions with a ragtag force and winning victory after victory.
A gap moe girl-crush in romance fantasy terms, a walking disaster who pulled endless stunts and caused trouble for everyone. But her military prowess was undeniably top-tier.
Or so it seemed.
"The Hanzerbalt City Union has declared surrender to the Holy Empire... but apprentices refusing to accept it are putting up scattered resistance. Have Count Belner fortify Stalkam Ridge, and Viscount Lingar defend Giro Plateau. They're key strongholds where Union resistance is expected."
Stalkam Ridge. Giro Plateau.
The stunning beauty with cascading golden hair pointed at the terrain map during the briefing. Tap. Tap. Her slender, jade-like fingers jabbed at it repeatedly. But the regions she indicated were nothing but open fields on the opposite side of Stalkam Ridge and Giro Plateau—places with zero strategic value or justification, long ignored by both the Holy Empire and the City Union.
Was she joking? Pulling pranks in the middle of a tactical meeting?
The Imperial Army staff officers attending the meeting were quick to voice their objections.
"Lady Levanfalt, may I speak?"
"Sir Valtenstein, stand by until separate orders are issued."
I opened my mouth in place of the baffled staff. The heroine responded in her earnest tone.
The war hero representing the Holy Empire, the protagonist of a war-themed romance fantasy, can't even read a terrain map? It has to be a joke... But what if it's not?
It wasn't a joke. In other words, she was illiterate.
How? How could that be? The Holy Empire's war hero, an utter novice and illiterate?
The military conference, attended by frontline commanders, plunged into darker doubts and confusion than storm clouds. As if to prove it, suspicious glares poured down on Zigrinde's retreating back like a downpour as she left the room.
"Staff attending the meeting, please be reseated. As chief of staff aiding Lady Levanfalt, I will override the previous orders. I am Sturts von Baldemar, heir to the Baldemar Duchy and chief of staff of the Imperial Army's 7th Legion."
The moment the Steel Lorelei exited, an androgynous young man with delicate features stepped forward, issuing commands in a refined voice. His urgent demeanor evoked a senior officer stuck cleaning up after careless privates—yet again.
Navy-blue hair neatly tied back. A monocle framing stern precision. And the impeccably tailored Imperial Army uniform, demanding meticulous effort.
Sturts von Baldemar. Of the Baldemar Duchy. A prestigious Holy Empire house renowned for producing brilliant strategists. And the duchy's young lord was the sub-male lead in the heroine's reverse harem, handling strategy.
"You must be Sir Valtenstein."
"An honor to meet you, young lord Baldemar. I am Kailun von Valtenstein, commanding the Valtenstein detachment."
"The Valtenstein detachment... Your exploits and those of your men are famous even in the Imperial Capital. A unit that has never retreated against forces hostile to the Holy Empire, isn't it?"
"You flatter us."
Behind the monocle, navy-blue eyes flashed with a sinister gleam. Though fleeting, I caught the malice from the staffer serving the Steel Lorelei.
Jealousy. Near-hostile resentment.
Not surprising. I'd dealt with it daily. The more unmatched your record, the bigger the target for envy.
A third-rate noble from a backwater county sacks Hammerfall Fortress and forces the Hanzerbalt City Union's surrender? That must have lit the fuse on their inferiority complex.
But it felt like more than mere insecurity. The sub-male lead's reaction was off.
"Lady Linde... er, Lady Levanfalt has selected you as her new staff officer. You'll be devising strategies under her command now. Serving the Steel Lorelei who guards the Holy Empire up close—truly boundless honor, isn't it?"
"......"
I pinpointed the trigger for his insecurity. Pathetic male jealousy at its ugliest.
* * *
Pious faith and immutable justice. Those were the Holy Empire's guiding principles.
But like the knights' code eroded into meaninglessness, the Theodor Holy Empire's pious faith and immutable justice had been devoured by greed and arrogance.
Faith? Corroded by the nobility's secularization. Before the logic of capital, the Empire's faith was powerless.
Justice? Indulgences appeared to dodge judgment. In a noble society prizing bloodline and background, the Empire's justice became a shield for the elite.
Wealth and power inevitably corrupt. Not just the Holy Empire—all factions, from the Eisenreich Colonial Empire onward, bore corruption and contradictions.
"As radiant as ever today!"
"Steel Lorelei... I heard of another victory!"
"Our house will join the Pirate Alliance front too! Grant us the chance to shatter our bones for the Holy Empire and Lady Levanfalt!"
The victory banquet welcoming the Steel Lorelei. Nobles in splendid attire swarmed the golden-haired beauty. Flattery and fawning, pleas disguised as loyalty and devotion rained down.
It was their ploy to cozy up to the lady commanding the Imperial Army for career advancement. Middle-aged political heavyweights groveling to a girl young enough to be their daughter.
A scene dirtier and more repulsive than any mud pit.
Yet the Steel Lorelei in her pristine white evening gown maintained a benevolent air, treating the nobles with utmost courtesy. After all, every political noble at the banquet was a backer funding her faction.
She begs military might from Crown Prince Ergon Magnus Theodor, aid from Duke Zikfried von Kreuz, strategy from Young Lord Sturts, and magic from Kasian von Eternar, the young Red Tower master... Still, she excels as the pretty face. The beautiful Steel Lorelei defending the Holy Empire from foreign powers—perfect propaganda mascot.
Three months. Three months since being appointed her staff officer.
A short time. And long enough.
I realized the romance fantasy's iconic beautiful heroine was nothing but a 'queen bee' propped up by the full devotion of her main and sub-male leads.
I'd sensed something off since reading the early chapters. Fresh academy grads with the male leads straight into Imperial Army officers, making her mark immediately? A noble lady with zero training in basic tactics or strategy rocketing to war hero? What a flower-headed airhead.
Accumulated experience and controlled variables. That's war.
Innate talent and gut instinct? War isn't some art. It demands theory honed by real combat improvisation.
A hard lesson from eight years on countless frontlines.
"Hehe, there you are on the balcony, as expected?"
"Lady Levanfalt."
"When we're alone, you can use my nickname, you know."
"...I'll consider it next time."
As I lingered on the outdoor balcony, the beautiful noble lady with flowing golden hair appeared, her skirt fluttering.
The Steel Lorelei. Zigrinde von Levanfalt.
Her refined face was flushed, perhaps from sipping wine in the hall.
"I heard from the War Council. Kailun, you requested a transfer to the Colonial Empire front? Can't you reconsider? Without you, I'm too anxious to even step onto the battlefield. With His Highness the Crown Prince and the young lords... please protect fragile me."
"......"
The romance fantasy heroine whispered shyly. If the political nobles revering the Steel Lorelei heard, they'd faint on the spot.
But fuck this bitch.
Planning to keep sucking me dry? Not enough Imperial water buffaloes for you?
The beautiful Lorelei's confession ignited rage and contempt. The credit for forcing Hanzerbalt's surrender was snatched by that damned Baldemar family lackey, and even the achievements from three months as staff—marching with the army—were all stolen by her adoring buffaloes.
Stay by my side like the other buffaloes. I'll use you for a long time.
A cunning, selfish honey trap if there ever was one.